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Message |
    
Tex Brewer
Junior Member
Username: Texbrewer
Post Number: 31
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 06:11 pm: | 
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I made a hefeweizen with Weihenstephan yeast (Wyeast 3068) and kegged it after 4 weeks of primary/secondary fermentation at 64F. OG = 1.055 FG = 1.012. The kegged beer was fabulous, best ever hefe. I filled 6 Grolsch bottles separately at the time of kegging (uncarbonated). I added about a tsp. of corn sugar dissolved in boiling water to each bottle about 3 wks after the bottles were filled (could not get to them earlier). The bottles had no head space after this and were kept at 80F. I popped the first one after 2 weeks and it was flat.
Why would it be flat? Yeast sat too long and died? Temp too warm? Bottle gasket leaked? Does the lack of head space make a difference? |
Denny Conn
Senior Member
Username: Denny
Post Number: 3523
Registered: 01-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 06:16 pm: |
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I think it's the lack of headspace. It's been my observation that the more headspace, the more carbonation. I think that's because the CO2 dissolves into the beer from the headspace.
LIfe begins at 60...1.060, that is.
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Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 613
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 09:03 pm: |
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I agree completely with Denny. I know when I judge I always look carefully at the bottle fill. If there is little or no headspace often the beer is undercarbonated. |
Tex Brewer
Junior Member
Username: Texbrewer
Post Number: 32
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 09:17 pm: |
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Would opening the bottles, removing some beer for headspace, and re-sealing do the trick? Or would I need to add more sugar? |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 614
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 09:40 pm: |
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Tex, I honestly don't know. Why don't you open a bottle, pour out just enough beer so there is 1-1.5 inch headspace and recap the bottle. Leave it at room temperature for about two weeks and see what happens. |
Ric Heinz
Junior Member
Username: Rheinz
Post Number: 96
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 01:14 pm: |
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Interesting post...
Since CO2 is metabolized from sugar and water(?) (sorry I not a microbiologist), the gas would obviously take up more room than its liquid components(?). Without a place for it to go, how could this occur? You would have a "hydraulic lock" of sorts. A "hard" system.
It would be like trying to fart into a bottle with no headspace!
It would be interesting to see if the yeast can do their job with some room to "pass gas".
Ric
Brewing in NW Houston |
Stephen Manchester
Junior Member
Username: Smanches
Post Number: 90
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 05:13 pm: |
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I have noticed this as well. Laying the bottles down definitely allows them to carbonate faster. With my last batch I had half the bottles standing upright and half laying down.
After the first week, I open one of each bottle every two days, and the bottles that were laying down definitely were more carbonated in less time.
Not just headspace, but surface area of the headspace to the beer.
(Message edited by smanches on September 21, 2004) |
Brandon Dachel
Senior Member
Username: Brandon
Post Number: 1217
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 05:16 pm: |
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> the gas would obviously take up more room than
> its liquid components(?)
Gas is compressable. Liquids are not. |
Ric Heinz
Junior Member
Username: Rheinz
Post Number: 97
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 08:31 pm: |
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There is nothing that can be compressed if there is no headspace. |
Brews and Views Archive 2004 
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